Chemistry 251 Laboratory -- Spring 2010
Synthesis Project Reports and Other Final Details

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Progress Report on Synthesis Projects (40 pts)
Due Tuesday, April 20 in your Chem 251 Lecture

Because of the shortened projects this year we will not have a progress report.

To help you get a good jump on writing your final report, and in order to get feedback before your final report is due, your group must turn in a progress report due next Tuesday, April 20. (One report per pair.) This report will consist of a draft of your Introduction and Experimental Sections Include a figure for your synthetic sequence and experimental details for all the reactions you have done to date. (If you did a reaction more than once, you are only required to do an experimental for the one that worked the best.) Be sure to include NMR and IR spectral data, yields, etc. In addition to your experimental section, include copies of annotated NMR and IR and GC/MS spectra. The structure of the compound should be drawn on each spectrum. For the NMR spectra all peaks should be assigned to protons in the molecule. For IR spectra assign absorptions to the functional groups in the molecule. Finally, include an outline of the main points you want to include in the Results and Discussion section of your final report.

Oral Presentations (20 pts)
During your last lab section (4/26-4/30)

At the beginning of lab during the week of April 26 to April 30 (Check-out week), we will meet in the organic lab for oral reports describing the results from the synthesis projects. Each group should prepare a short (approximately 10 minute) presentation describing their research project. I recommend using Powerpoint. Please come organized and prepared. A suggested outline for your presentation is given below:

  1. Introduce the members of the group.
  2. Describe what you were trying to synthesize and why.
  3. Outline the overall synthetic scheme that you used (or planned to use) to synthesize the product. Be prepared to discuss the mechanism for any reactions you performed.
  4. Describe your experiences for each step of the synthesis. This discussion should include both things that worked and things that didn't work. For each reaction you should give the approximate scale and the yield. (Although yields are typically given as the percentage of pure product obtained, in many cases the crude yield may be informative.) Your method of purification, as well important spectral analysis should be described. (How could you tell that you had the desired product? Including an NMR may be helpful.)
  5. Finish with an overall evaluation of your synthesis. What suggestions would you make for future students working on this project?

After all the presentations are complete the instructors will spend a few minutes soliciting general feedback from you about these projects. What did you learn from these projects? What suggestions would you make for improving the educational value of these projects? What aspect of the projects did you like the most? What aspect did you like the least?

Check-Out and Clean-Up (4/26-4/30)

Immediately following the oral presentations we will move to the lab for check-out and clean-up.

Synthesis Project Reports (150 pts)
Due Friday, April 30 at 4 pm to your Project Mentor (Dasher, Hanson, Hoyt, Scharrer)

You and your partner should turn in one report together. These reports should be turned in to the appropriate faculty mentor by Friday, April 30 at 4 pm.

You should write a full report, using the standard journal format we have worked on all year. (See earlier handout.) Your final report will be graded on both style and substance. Please proofread carefully. For each product include a fully assigned NMR and IR spectrum as a figure. Also include GC/MS data when appropriate. The structure of the product should be written on the spectrum. In addition, please indicate the filename you used when saving it on the NMR workstation. You may combine your Results and Discussion sections. If you ran a reaction more than once, you only need to include an experimental procedure for the one that worked the best, but you should include a discussion of your other attempts in the Results and Discussion. Be sure to include any information that will be helpful for students next year.